


Love, Affection, and Attention

by Tamanexia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura - Freeform, F/M, Pidge | Katie Holt - Freeform, Shiro - Freeform, hunk - Freeform, keith - Freeform, lance mcclain - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-08-08 07:56:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamanexia/pseuds/Tamanexia
Summary: Hey guys! This is my first Fanfiction I’ve ever posted, I’d really appreciate it if you would leave a review or a comment! I’ll be posting a new chapter every day! Also I’m always open for suggestions on what to write about! (Voltron related of course.)I hope you enjoy this!~PeanutButterPidge





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first Fanfiction I’ve ever posted, I’d really appreciate it if you would leave a review or a comment! I’ll be posting a new chapter every day! Also I’m always open for suggestions on what to write about! (Voltron related of course.)  
> I hope you enjoy this!  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

Pidge, Allura, and Lance sat on the bridge in the Castle of Lions, all three of them hard at work. Allura was updating the castles defences, Pidge was helping Allura by moving data from her memory cards into the ship, and Lance was...asleep in his chair.

“Wake up, Dork!” Pidge barked at Lance from over Allura’s shoulder, causing the Princess to jump. 

“Lance, were you asleep?” Allura questioned him.

Lance jerked awake. “HUH? What?! No, of course not Princess, I was just uhh-“ he scrambled to come up with an answer. 

“It is okay Lance, we have been working for a solid four hours, I think we may need a break. How about I go get us something from the kitchen?” Allura suggested.

Lance immediately calmed. “Yeah, sure. I could uhhh, I could eat.” He said, flashing Allura a thankful smile. 

“Pidge? What about you? Would you like something to eat while we work?” Allura turned to Pidge, who was still focused on typing away at the keys on her computer. 

“Sure Allura, I’d love that.” She said to the Princess, not taking her eyes off her computer.

“That settles it then, I’ll be back in a few ticks!” Allura chimed, and lowered the pillars on her pedestal, then left the room towards the kitchen.

That left Pidge and Lance alone.

The sound of Pidge tapping away at her keyboard, and the hum of the engine from the castle were the only sounds throughout the bridge.

“Late night?” Pidge said, breaking the (almost) silence.

Lance sat up in his chair, recovering from the slumping position he was in before. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.” Lance said as he looked over at Pidge, who still didn’t look up from her keyboard. 

“Hm, why not?” Pidge asked as she closed her laptop, and leaned back in her chair.

Lance cocked his head at her. “What’s up with you? Usually you wouldn’t care about my sleeping habits...or anything that doesn’t have to do with tech.” He said questioningly.

“Well, I don’t care. I’m just trying to pass time while the data passes over into the ships records.” She said lazily, while kicking her feet up on the armrests of her chair.

“Oh. Well I ugh, I just couldn’t get to sleep was all, nothing out of the ordinary.” Lance said blankly. 

Lies, lies, lies. It was all lies. 

Lance was right about one thing; he wasn’t sleeping well. But the thing that was in fact out of the ordinary, was why he wasn’t sleeping. Something was on his mind. No no, someone was on his mind. A certain girl. A girl with gleaming, honey brown eyes. A girl with fluffy, soft hair. A girl with a personality so dazzling and outgoing, it was as bright as a Balmeran crystal. A girl that kept him up at night, tossing and turning. This girl was one of a kind, and no one could ever replace her. 

This girl was Pidge.

At first, Lance thought it was just a crush. I mean, if you spend this much time in a crowded ship, millions of light years away from home, you’re bound to get a little smitten. So, Lance just waited a few weeks for it to pass, as most of his crushes back home on earth did. But a year later, and here he is. Still “crushing.” He really was trying to stop, to get Pidge out of his head. He couldn’t count the many late nights he spent in the training deck, hitting on targets left and right, hoping it would take his mind off of her. And sometimes it did! A few nights a week he was able to get a good nights sleep. But when he woke up the next morning and walked onto the bridge, seeing Pidge sitting in her chair, her beautiful, bronze eyes focused on whatever she was working on that morning, would start the whole painful process all over again.

Lance sometimes thought about telling her. In fact, that’s what kept him up at night the most. Lance would come up with little conditions in which he would tell Pidge his feelings towards her. How he just wanted to squish her little cheeks and kiss her passionately. To have her to cuddle and shower with his love, affection, and attention. For hers to be his, no matter the circumstances-

“I’m back!” Allura said cheerily as she walked onto the bridge, interrupting Lance’s thoughts. 

“Cool, thanks Allura!” Pidge said happily, as she ran up to the tray that the Princess was holding, and grabbed a bowl of food goo. She immediately scooped a spoonful into her mouth, chewing it swiftly and then swallowing. 

“Oh that’s better, I was starving.” She exclaimed, sitting back down in her chair and checking her laptop. 

Lance sat in his chair, looking at Pidge. God, she was cute.

“Here Lance, you should eat, if all goes well, we should be done here within an hour.” Allura smiled at Lance as she handed him some food goo. 

“Thanks Allura.” Lance said, looking a little solemn.

“Hey, are you alright?” Allura asked him, looking at him suspiciously.

He immediately perked up. “Couldn’t be better!” 

“Good,” She said, and headed back to the pedestal where Pidge sat, waiting for Allura’s help on some things.

“She is driving me crazy.” Lance muttered under his breath.

Lance shoved some food goo in his mouth and stared at Pidge from the safety of his seat.

And then he breathed ever so slightly, so that no one could hear him;

“I don’t care what it takes, or what I have to do, I’m going to make her mine.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge, Lance, And Allura finish their work on the ship.  
> Allura and Lance have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I’m posting another chapter, and I’ll probably be posting a few more today :)  
> I actually didn’t expect to get almost 30 hits on the first chapter, so thanks for that! Anyways this chapter is kinda short, but the next few will be longer, I promise! Enjoy :D

Well that day had lasted way too long. Lance and Pidge were exhausted after hours and hours of assisting Allura to match data together to sync with the ship. After the Princess had brought them Lunch (it was actually more of a late dinner), Pidge’s computer overloaded and crashed, so they had to restart everything. But, five hours later, it was finished. The Castle Of Lions was prepared for yet another test on its defences. 

“Are you two going to head to bed now?” Allura asked Pidge and Lance, as she stepped off her pedestal.

“I know I am, I’m not sure about Lance.” Pidge said, looking over to him.

“I uhh, I actually might stay behind and help Allura with the finishing touches, you know?” Lance replied.

Pidge smiled at him. “That’s nice of you Lance, I’d stay too but I’m about to collapse any second now-“ Pidge giggled. 

Lance’s whole stomach filled with butterflies as he saw Pidge’s face light up with that million dollar smile that he loved so much. He almost felt embarrassed for himself when his knees felt weak, like they had suddenly turned to jelly. That brought him back to the fact that the only reason he wasn’t going to bed is because he knew he’d be trapped with the thought of Pidge in his head, and that wouldn’t bear too well for him.

“Sounds good, thank you so much with your help today. I really appreciate it.” Allura chimed. 

“Anytime Princess!” Pidge waved to her as she grabbed her supplies and left the bridge, Lance watching as the doors closed behind her. 

“Thanks for staying behind Lance, I actually did want you for something-“ Allura said as she turned towards him. 

“Oh?” Lance said, looking at the Princess, who had...a sly grin on her face?

Lance had never seen Allura with such a...shit-eating grin. What was up with her?

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Lance asked, as if he was offended.

“Oh Lance, do not play funny with me.” Allura said, chuckling and crossing her arms. 

“Don’t play funny with what?!” Lance asked, still extremely confused.

“Oh you know, Pidge? And how you-“ she cleared her throat. “Want to make her yours.” Allura used air quotes on that last bit, then bursted out in a fit of laughter.

Lance’s whole stomach flipped upside down. 

“How do you KNOW about that?!” Lance practically screamed, his voice very high pitched. 

Allura just grinned at him and raised her eyebrows, wiggling them at him suggestively. 

“Allura.” Lance said seriously, his tone dropping.

The Princess just giggled and then brought a finger up to her ear. “Alteans have very good hearing Lance, you should be more careful when you mutter stuff around us.” Allura could barely contain her laughter. 

Lance’s mouth gaped wide open in utter disbelief. “I-it’s ugh, it’s not what you th-“ 

“Oh Lance, it IS what I think. You love Pidge, and you want to date her. I say go for it.” Allura said intriguingly. 

Lance was hit with a strike of anger, because it was definitely more than “wanting to date her.”

Lance, still in shock that ALLURA (of all people, for fucks sake) knew about his ginormous crush and unrequited love for the breathtakingly beautiful little green Paladin. 

“What?! Okay hold on, I’m still trying to grasp my head around this complete breach of PRIVACY!” Lance said jokingly, but he was still very embarrassed and surprised. 

“Lance please, we do this with all of you!” Allura said, now calming down from her laughter. 

“You do?!” Lance said, the secrets coming loose right now were unbelievable. 

“Yes. You wouldn’t BELIEVE the amount of profanity I catch Keith saying under his breath everyday.” Allura shot Lance a concerned look. 

Lance chuckled at this.

“Here Lance, sit.” Allura said, her tone a little more serious.

She and Lance walked over to his chair, where he sat down and Allura knelt beside him. 

There was an awkward silence. 

Lance couldn’t believe someone knew. He needed to make sure that Allura wouldn’t tell a soul, because if word got around the Castle of Lions that Lance liked Pidge, and she heard about it before Lance could tell her...he shuddered just at the thought of it. He didn’t want to hurt Pidge at all. So even if he were to tell her sometime soon, he didn’t want Pidge to hear from a rumour.

“Allura. Please, don’t tell anyone. I don’t know what I’d do if Pidge got hurt because I loaded all of my feelings on her so soon.” He said meaningfully. 

“I wouldn’t do such a thing Lance. If you really do love her as much as you say...you should confess to her...and-“ Allura hesitated. “And especially when you two are fighting a war together. Remember Lance, tomorrow is never promised.” Allura said softly. 

That made Lance’s heart twinge. What did she mean by that? Was she implying that...he should tell Pidge just in case something ever happened to either of them?

“That’s not gonna be a problem, I won’t let anything hurt her. Ever. I...I love her too much, Allura. I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t blessed with the luxury of seeing her face everyday, or hearing her laugh, it makes me physically hurt that I can’t-“ Lance stopped abruptly as he felt that familiar feeling of pressure building under his eyelids. “I can’t tell her. Not yet. And i don’t care if I have to stay in arms reach of her at all times, I’ll do everything In my power to make sure nothing ever happens to Pidge. Because...I mean, she’s Pidge. You know?” Lance looked at Allura, who had a warm smile on her face. 

“I know.” Allura replied. “You should get some sleep, Lance. It’s been a long day. I’m here if you ever need anything, okay?” She reassured him. 

Lance nodded, and then headed towards the door to the hallways. 

“And Lance?” Allura called after him.

“Yeah Allura?” 

“You’re in deep.” She said, chuckling. 

“I know.” He laughed back at her.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance wakes up to a petrifying situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m so thankful for all the support I’m getting, so thanks a lot! I really appreciate it! I hope you find this chapter a good add-on to the story! I’m ill right now so I’m sleeping a lot, but I have a bunch of free time to write so im gonna be just working on this Fic! Enjoy <3  
> (Also I promise this story gets more exciting, Lol)

Lance tossed and turned as he jerked awake from his deep slumber. He slowly sat up in bed, rubbing his head. 

What the fuck was that noise?

It took Lance a few seconds until he realized what it was. It was the alarm. The alarm that signalled that someone was attacking. His whole chest sank in as he jumped out of bed, threw on his armour, and scrambled out of his door, knocking over many things in the process.

The only thing he could possibly think was: What was it this time?

Lance started running down the hallway, faster and faster, gaining speed as he headed down the corridors of the castle. When he finally made it to the bridge, he saw that Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Allura, Coran and P- “Wait, where’s Pidge?!” He said under his breath. 

That’s when Allura looked over her shoulder at him, with the most grief stricken look on her face he had ever seen. 

What on earth did that mean. 

“Allura.” He said, under his breath again. Lance mentally already knew what was going on, but he couldn’t bring his body to move. He needed to hear it for it to be real. 

“Everyone to your lions, now!” Allura ordered, and he saw as everyone scattered to their loading pods, but Lance didn’t move. 

“Lance-“ Allura said, a panicked tone in her voice, trying to calm Lance down before she even reached him. 

“Allura what’s going on-“ Lance asked swiftly. 

“Pidge was...taken, in the night. We don’t know who or how, but someone infiltrated the Castle and they took her. Please Lance, you need to be strong for her right now. We will get Pidge back.” Allura tried to comfort him, but the look on Lance’s face looked far from comforted. 

What are the fucking odds that this would happen. Just the night before he was contemplating telling Pidge his feelings... why on earth didn’t he?! What the hell was the matter with him? Lance’s whole world was crashing down on him, and vivid images flashed through his head like a slideshow as everything zoned out around him. Allura’s voice, the alarm on the ship, it all dissipated as he focused on what he did wrong in the past twenty-four hours. He didn’t protect her. He didn’t watch her as closely as he should have. Hell, he should have been standing outside her bedroom door in full Paladin armour with a gun at his side ready to kill anyone that tried to harm her. He could only imagine the things that the Galra were doing to...to torture her. Oh god, Lance cringed at the thoughts. Pidge, in pain...no. That wasn’t good. Lance’s whole body felt weakened at the simple thought of Pidge just being upset in general, but imagine if they were doing something that physically. Fucking. Hurt her. He wasn’t ready to let go of her...he wouldn’t ever be ready. That’s why he had to be strong for her, and go and save her, and bring Pidge back safe to him. 

“Lance! Lance! Come on, let’s go!” Allura was almost screaming at him now. As Lance snapped back into reality, he didn’t even talk to Allura, he just sprinted over to his loading pod and clenched his jaw to stop himself from shaking. 

He wanted her back here, in this castle, by tonight. And he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen. 

As Lance went through the sequences to load in his lion, all he saw was Pidge’s face. He could already see it, her tear-stained face, the damaged, resented look in her eyes. He was going to personally pay a visit to every single Galran officer that took place in...in hurting her. In hurting what he loved more than anything. In hurting the person that gave him a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Pidge really was his angel, his Hail Mary. And he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. He was so anxious to just see her, see what condition she was in, and what she needed anything, if she needed something, whatever it was, Lance would get it for her. 

The second that Lance was in his lion, he dashed out of his hangar, and waited for the rest of the lion’s to catch up.

“Lance, stay with the group!” Hunk said. 

Only then did Lance realize how fast he had accelerated in his lion. 

“Sorry!” Lance said over the coms. 

“Okay team, Here’s the plan-“ Shiro started. “Hunk. Scan for Pidge’s sonar imaging in her suit, find out which one of those ships she is in. Keith, Lance, you are on damage control. I want you on full attack mode. I’ll join you. Once Hunk locates Pidge, Lance and him will go and get her. Now, we need to do this all before the ships jump into hyperspace, so hurry! LETS GO!” Shiro roared through the coms. 

The team did just as Shiro ordered. Lance, Keith, and Shiro all spread out between the fleet of Galra ships, weaving over and under them, firing lasers and canons at the many grey and purple ships. This continued for five minutes, until Lance heard Hunk speak over his com;

“Lance, I found her. She’s on the druids ship.” Hunk said, a deathly tone in his voice. 

“Quick, we can’t waste any time.” Lance replied, and they headed for the second largest ship in the Galran fleet.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds Pidge...but she’s not the same way she was when she was taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys, I’m back with another chapter!⚠️ THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN A GRAPHIC TORTURE SCENE ⚠️ , I put a warning before the scene starts, so if you have a weak stomach, or don’t like serious blood and gore, I strongly recommend not reading it. YOU WILL NOT MISS ANY OF THE STORYLINE IF YOU DO NOT READ THE GRAPHIC SCENE. I made sure of that. Also I’m extremely happy with how many people are reading this, so thank you everyone! The storyline is starting to develop really well and I’m happy! Anyways, enjoy this ~Long~ chapter!  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

~~~~~  
“Lance, come on, I really need your help with this. With Hunk away on a mission I don’t have a person to help me!” Pidge whined, laughing at Lance. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop fooling around. What did you need help with exactly? You ARE aware I’m not a brainiac like you and Hunk, right?” Lance stated, while spinning around on his chair to face Pidge. 

“I know...but it’s still nice to have some company while i code these messages!” Pidge giggled, as she motioned to her laptop. 

“Okay, well uhh, what did you wanna talk about?” Lance asked patiently. 

“Hmm, how about you and Allura?” She suggested, so nonchalantly that it shocked Lance so much he removed his elbow from the table, sending him flying off his chair. 

“Jeez Lance, get up you clumsy fuck.” Pidge joked. 

“Hey, hey, I’m cool...” he said In a not-so-cool tone. “And also-“ 

“ME AND ALLURA?!” He screeched, recovering swiftly from his fall, as if it never happened. 

“Yeah, don’t you like her?” Pidge asked. 

“No! She’s not the one I like- I mean-“

“Oh so there’s a ONE!” Pidge smiled at him. “So who is it? Keith?” She gasped. “Is it HUNK?” 

“No-no, it’s no one! It was, someone back home...” he lied. 

Pidge paused.

“Oh, I see. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking...sometimes I forget earth even exists.” She said softly.

“I know. Me too.”   
~~~~~

As Hunk and Lance scanned the dark, vacant halls of the Galran Druid ship, Lance looked back on the time he realized he felt deeply for Pidge. I mean, he had always had feelings for her, ever since the Garrison, he had thought she was kinda cute...even if she was disguised as a boy. It didn’t matter to him, Lance loved Pidge for who she was as a person. The first time Lance had realized he loved Pidge, was the day when Hunk was away on a mission, and Pidge asked Lance if he wanted to come hang out with her because she loved having someone around when she worked. She said it made her feel less lonely...and if Lance could make her less lonely, he would love nothing more than to spend a day with Pidge, doing nerdy stuff with her. As long as he was around her, he was happy. He remembered sitting in the green lion’s hangar, in a lab chair, watching as she worked. Her big, vibrant eyes were focused on tinkering with some wires connected to her laptop, and Lance couldn’t help but stare. He loved watching as her hair drooped in front of her eyes, sometimes causing her to blow it away. Or the times she’d kick her shoes off and just wear socks as she worked. He smiled to himself as he muttered; “Just cute little Pidge things.” 

“What was that?” Hunk asked, keeping his shoulder canon at the ready in case a Druid or drone popped out and started attacking.

Lance looked at Hunk. “Nothing...I’m just-“

“Worried about Pidge? Me too.” Hunk said gently. 

Lance wanted to scream at Hunk, and say “not the way I miss her.” But he knew better than to take this whole thing out on him...Lance was just angry. Extremely angry. Literally all he wanted more than anything in the world right now, was to bring Pidge back safely.

“Well you said you saw her sonar imaging on this ship right? So what room is she in?” Lance asked.

“It’s not like that. I can only get a brief showing of where she is located, I hate that it’s not exact.” Hunk sighed.

“Shit.” Lance said through gritted teeth. 

“I know, I want to know who infiltrated the ship, and I want to-“

Hunk was interrupted by a gut wrenching, agonizing scream that echoed throughout the vessel of the ship. 

Lance and Hunk both froze. A look of horror fell across their faces as they exchanged worried looks. 

“PIDGE!” Lance screamed, as he lunged forward, sprinting as fast as he could. Lance could already tell that it was her, just from the intensity of the scream. It was her. The raspy, yet cute little voice she had...it was her. 

Hunk and Lance both booked it down the hallway, and followed the scream. 

Lance’s whole chest felt like it was collapsing. 

Another scream tumbled through the halls. 

“PIDGE!” Lance screamed as he turned the corner of the hallway. 

He saw it. 

A room, at the end of the hallway. 

He could just barely make it out, and he wanted to make sure it was safe before he started his attack.

Oh what was he saying?! Fuck safety! He needed to get Pidge out of there. 

Lance looked at Hunk worriedly. “You stay here and watch for anyone else who tries to get in here. And if they do, mow them down. Got it?” He said sternly. 

Hunk nodded. 

Lance readied his weapon, and started cautiously walking towards the entrance of the room at the end of the hallway. He looked for shadows, but didn’t see any. 

Complete silence. 

He slowly entered the room-

~~~TORTURE SCENE (Read at your own risk)~~~

“P-Pidge?” He gasped, dropping his weapon to the ground, the clatter of it echoing through the small, stuffy chamber. He threw a hand over his mouth, and looked away from the scene in front of him. 

“J-Jesus Christ...” he swore into his hand, his whole stomach lurched at the setting that he had just witnessed. 

He would never recover from seeing that...ever. It took every single nerve he had left to even turn around to look at Pidge. Or...what was left of her. 

He didn’t even know what he was looking at exactly, this...device, that she was strapped to. It was a heavy, steel chair (chair was a bit of an over exaggeration, it was more like four steel plates bolted together), that took up almost half of the room. Around it, several pillars stood. These kept her in place, so that she didn’t-couldn’t, move. 

The whole room was scattered with cloths, pipes, and rags that were all bloodstained. 

But he didn’t give a shit about any of these things, his main focus, was Pidge. 

She was strapped to this...contraption, her arms and legs were strapped down, and her armour was torn left and right. Her hair that was clean and fluffy the last time he had seen her, was now dirtied with blood and grime, and it stuck to her face, along with tears, and more blood. Her eyes were clamped shut, but he could tell from a distance that they were puffy, and red. She had been crying, a lot. 

That was only the start of it. 

As he looked down her body, he couldn’t see a patch of skin that wasn’t coated with blood, or cut open, exposing gashes of her flesh. Getting closer to her stomach, pieces of her armours neoprene underlay was caught in her skin, mixed in with the bigger gashes on her stomach. 

He took a step closer to her, wincing. 

“Pidge.” He said under his breath. 

Lance examined the scene some more, trying to figure out what they had done to her. Assuming by the huge, purple, broken bruises on her stomach...he assumed they had beaten her first. Tried to get information out of her. Obviously she had kept her mouth shut, because they had definitely taken matters to worse conditions after she wouldn’t talk. 

He took another step closer. More was coming to detail. 

Lance assumed that the vile smell in here was not only from her wounds, but also the mixture of blood and vomit that collected beneath her, pooling on the ground. 

Lance fell to his knees, slightly holding his breath. 

“P-please tell me you’re alive...” He breathed shakily. Lance went to go touch her neck to feel for a pulse, but...he was worried she would break if he touched her. 

“Katie, please...I-“ He gagged slightly as he brought his digits to her nape, his fingers squishing against the blood that hadn’t yet dried on her skin. 

He felt for a pulse...waiting, waiting, waiting,

Anxiety welled up inside of Lance, as he started to cry. 

“Pidge, PLEASE!” He raised his voice. 

He felt a heartbeat. 

He cried out loud, thankful she was still with him.   
~~~End of Torture Scene~~~


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone comes to save Pidge, but she has doubts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crow, this story sure is dragging on...sorry about that. I’m not too good at writing spontaneous scenes like this, but I’m trying my best :) The next three chapters are gonna be filled with angst and detail but it’s currently 11 pm and I’m so sleepy. Enjoy this short little chapter :D

From the inside out, from her fingers to her toes, Pidge was anesthetized. 

She didn’t know what parts of her were bound to what, or if she even had feeling in her body anymore. Her nerves were shot. She felt like she wouldn’t ever be able to move again...she felt like if she moved, her skin would peel off. 

She didn’t know where she was, but she knew it wasn’t at Home. She knew this wasn’t home. The cold, vacant feeling that surrounded her was nothing like the warm, comfortable, familiar feeling of being in her room at home. 

Her room where she would do her homework every night. 

Her room that had the window, which was perfect for looking at stars during the late hours of night. 

The room where when she was sick, Matt would come in every second waking hour to make sure she was okay, and to read her a story. 

She wish she was there right now. Under her blankets, curled up with her pet dog Bae Bae, falling asleep as the cool breeze from the open window would dance across her skin, sending her off into a peaceful sleep. 

Pidge snapped out of her daydream as she heard the sound of a loud, heavy, door slam shut from far away.

The pain washed over her again. 

“No, please...go back...take me back into my memories. They are the only thing that will keep me sane...” She thought.

She clamped her eyes down tight, and wished that someone would be back to save her...Shiro, Or Hunk...someone. Anyone.

“Pidge PLEASE!” 

Her spirits were lifted slightly as she heard a distant voice call out her name. 

Was that...Lance?

Lance...Lance I’m here-

She cursed herself in her head. She wish she could feel her body, so she could somehow signal to someone that she was alive, and that she needed help. But how could she do that when she couldn’t even open her eyes without getting hit with a shock of everlasting pain?

She relaxed her body. There was no hope for her now. If Pidge has any chance of getting out out of here, it was Lance. 

She just hoped he could get her out of there without damaging her even more.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the team comes to help Lance care for Pidge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hEy guys! Ugh I had a little bit of writers block with those first few chapters, but it’s gonna be smooth sailing from here. Get ready for more detailed chapters, and possibly some fluff between Lance and Pidge? *evil laughs* anyways, enjoy this chapter! Expect a new one tomorrow!

“Lance!” 

“Lance did you find her?” 

“Lance! Come in, Lance!” 

“Can he hear us?” 

The voices rang through his head as the coms erupted with worried chatter from Allura, Coran, Shiro, Keith, and Hunk. He didn’t know what to say, though.

Pidge had been tortured. 

It was just those four words, that’s all he had to say.

But he couldn’t bring himself to even talk. 

Lance sat on the dirty, grimy floor of the chamber where he, and a very injured Pidge sat. He had managed to get her off of the contraption that she had been tied to, but now he had her rested against his knee, holding her very, very delicately, like she was made of porcelain. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore than she had already been. 

“Lance, answer us so we know you are alright!” Allura commanded through the coms. 

“I-I’m fine.” He choked through the coms while silently sobbing. 

“Pidge isn’t.” His voice cracked. 

Silence fell through the coms. 

Several seconds passed, until Allura spoke. 

“Lance can you get her to your lion?”   
She asked gently. 

“I...I don’t-“ Lance stuttered. “I don’t know...I’m worried I’ll break her if I try to move her.” Lance blurred out, before straining a cry out again. 

“We are on our way, Hunk said he cleared the ship of any remaining Galra, so it’s safe. We also took out the fleet. Just...keep her comfortable until we can bring a healing pod to you.” Allura said, and then hung up. 

Lance cried out loud when he knew no one else was listening. He took his helmet off, and wiped his tears, and cradled Pidge. He held one hand behind her upper back, and one on her shoulders. He had pulled Pidge closer to him, and was now holding his face close to hers. 

“Please, you can’t die on me...okay? I love you, and I can’t bear the thought of never being able to see you again. To see your smile...and your-“ he stopped to cry, his tears falling onto her cheeks. “I regret it, Pidge. I regret never telling you how much you mean to me. How happy you make me, and how grateful I am to have met you...and now you’re all cut up, and-“ Lance couldn’t control his tears. “They’ll be here soon, and I promise I’ll stay with you through recovery okay Pidge? But for you to even have a recovery I need you to fight and stay alive!” He choked out, holding her to his chest-plate and sobbing into her hair, while simultaneously smoothing it back. Somehow, throughout all of this, her hair had remained soft. It didn’t look soft, but it was. 

“I want you to be alright again...I want you to just wake up tomorrow and be yourself. Doing tech stuff or whatever it is y-you do, you know? Just cute little Pidge things!” He weeped. 

“I can’t picture a world where anything is ever peaceful when you’re gone, Katie.” He muttered into her hair. “I love you...so don’t you dare leave me.” 

Lance stayed with Pidge like this for about fifteen minutes, comforting and rocking her in his arms. He kept his fingers on her wrist, so he could constantly check her pulse. It was very low. Pidge’s hair was wet from Lance’s tears, but he never stopped crying. The only time he stopped, was when he heard footsteps approaching the chamber. He sniffled, and wiped his tears, to make it look like he wasn’t completely breaking down. Which he was. 

He knew that they were all standing in the doorway, even though Lance had his back turned towards them. 

“Lance?” Shiro asked quietly. 

Lance took a deep breath. He didn’t know if he could handle the look that would fall on their faces when they see Pidge. Hunk would be traumatized for life, he was Pidge’s best friend. Lance even recalled Hunk telling him that he thought Pidge was “so small and pure” when they were in training one day. Of course he didn’t mean it in a romantic way, he just loved Pidge as a friend, for someone to talk science and nerdy stuff with. He knew that Hunk cared for Pidge. A lot. So when she would fall asleep on his chest on movie nights, Lance didn’t get jealous. 

Well, maybe a little. 

And then there was Shiro. He knew that Shiro wouldn’t take it well. He’d be SO stressed, because he knew that he acted as a father figure towards Pidge. Whenever she needed help with anything, she usually went to Shiro for it. Lance knew that Pidge had a lot of problems with her family, seeing as how her brother and father are lost in space. But whenever Pidge needed help when she found a lead on Matt or Sam Holt, Shiro was always there to help. Lance remembered Pidge tell him and Keith that he always gave the best advice. 

Lance didn’t quite know how Keith would react. Obviously he’d be as upset as anyone about Pidge being like this, but Lance was also kinda..scared as to how Keith would take it. Would he be like he usually is, and seek revenge? Or would he go on a man-hunt for whoever had done this to her, and kill them personally...perhaps he would make them suffer like Pidge obviously did. 

Allura definitely would be the worst of them all. The Princess was like a sister, mother, and mentor to Pidge, so for Allura to see her like this...Lance wanted to stop it somehow, but he knew it wasn’t possible. He had to turn around. He had to face it. 

Lance braced Pidge against him, holding her firmly to his chest, but not too hard as to damage her. When he was sure she was okay, he stood up, and slowly turned around. 

Lance winced as he saw Allura clamp her eyes shut at the immediate sight of Pidge, and turn away. Shiro had brought his hand up to his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was about to cry. Hunk WAS crying, tears already reaching his chin as he was watching Pidge, almost lifeless in Lance’s arms. Multiple gasps were heard from the group when they focused in on Pidge’s cuts and bruises that laced her body. Lance’s head quickly bolted towards Keith, who had backed away to vomit in the hallway. 

Lance didn’t blame him. 

Lance solemnly walked over to the rest of team Voltron, where they all stood in shock. 

“What the hell are you all waiting for...we need to get her into a pod.” Lance said under his breath, but loud enough that they would be able to hear. There was a twinge of madness in his voice. 

Allura wiped her nose on her sleeve, and then sniffled. “Lance is right, we need to act fast, come on Paladins.” She choked out, while leading the rest of the Paladins out the door, and past Keith, who was still heaved over in the hall way, retching.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is stressed about Pidge’s condition, and Allura has a hard time coping with it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another chapter for y’all, I really really hope you are all enjoying this story, and I’m so thankful for all the reads I’m getting! As always, I hope you enjoy!  
> (I really am trying to make the chapters as long as I can, I promise!)

It had been a painful few hours. For Pidge, for Lance, for all the Paladins. Not only had they had to live with the fact that the Galra had actually managed to infiltrate their ship, but they had also taken Pidge, and now she looked like...this. Lance, Keith, Hunk, Shiro, Coran, and Allura were all standing in perfect alignment in front of Pidge’s healing pod. They had managed to get her back to the ship in one piece, but not one of them were hopeful that she would make a full recovery. And even if she did make it out of this alive...the healing pod can’t wipe away scars. 

Or memories. 

“Okay, Pidge’s pod is fully functional and its working at its full potential to heal her.” Allura said dryly, as she stepped away from the pod and sat down on the steps, running her fingers through her hair in a stressed manner. 

“Allura, I know you of all people are the most stressed right now, I mean your father’s ship has been broken into and one of your Paladins has been obliterated but-“

“Keith!” Hunk snapped at the red Paladin. 

“What? We were all thinking it.” He muttered. He crossed his arms and turned away. 

“I think what Keith was meaning to ask was, what...or who do you think caused this? I mean obviously it was the Galra but...” Shiro stopped. He knew everyone was wanting the name to be breached out, but he didn’t think he’d have to be the one to say it. To make it a reality. “I mean...she WAS on the druids ship...so could it have been-“

Everyone had eyes on Shiro. 

“Haggar?” 

A silence fell over them all. The only sound that was heard throughout the regeneration pods chamber, was the humming of the castles engine. 

The Paladins all directed their eyes to Allura. 

“What? Why is everyone looking at me? As if I should know...” she said sadly. 

“I mean, you are Altean, and so is Haggar...” Hunk started, but was interrupted by Allura. 

“So you just assume that I could use my Altean power to find out who exactly did this to Pidge?”

“Hey, hey, no one is blaming anyone-“ Shiro said.

Allura shot daggers at Shiro. 

“I never said anything about blames or faults. But if you want to bring that topic up, why don’t we take a look at you, Shiro!” Allura barked at him. 

“At me? What the hell does any of this have to do with me?!” He whined. 

“You are the leader of the Paladins,” Allura stood up. 

“By Paladin LAW, it is YOUR duty to protect the Paladins! And look at Pidge!” The Princess motioned to Pidge’s pod, where she lay still, the blue Altean energy light illuminating over her body. 

“Look at what YOU’VE done to her!”   
Allura screamed. 

“Woah woah Allura, don’t go placing blame on Shiro, this literally has nothing to do with him...” Hunk stared at her defensively. 

From where Lance stood, he could see she had her jaw clenched. She was gonna start crying soon, not from Pidge being injured...from frustration. 

This was helping no one, in any way possible. Lance knew what everyone needed, and they weren’t gonna find it here, arguing. 

“Okay everyone OUT! NOW!” Lance yelled hoarsely. 

Everyone froze. 

“Lance-“ 

“I SAID OUT!” He yelled louder. 

Everyone in the room scattered in all directions, not saying one word to each other. 

“Allura, you stay.” He muttered to the Princess before she could leave the room.

She stopped, and waited until everyone had left the room, and then turned and walked back to Lance. 

“Look, we are all in a tough place right now,” Lance said, placing a hand on Allura’s shoulder. “I mean, look at her.” He added, and then turned him and Allura to face Pidge’s pod.

“I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she didn’t make a full recovery.” Allura’s voice cracked. 

“Well of course she won’t make a full recovery, Allura. She’s going to have scars. She’s going to have memories. Nightmares, and much, much more. But fighting with the other Paladins isn’t going to change the way Pidge recovers. In fact, it will just make it worse. So just remember that we are all in this together, Okay Princess? We just need time.” Lance said, and hugged her. 

“Thank you Lance, I needed that.” Allura sighed, and then smiled at him. 

“Anytime Princess, are you going to go and apologize to Shiro?” He asked. 

“I guess I should, I do feel quite bad now that I have calmed down. After that I’ll get some sleep... I don’t know if I will be able to sleep though.” She said sadly. 

“Okay, well if you do, goodnight Allura.” 

“Goodnight Lance.” 

 

“Shiro? Are you in here? Or ugh, are you awake?” Allura asked as she lightly rapped at the door to the black Paladins room. 

“Come in.” His deep voice was heard on the other side of the door. 

Allura stepped into his room as the hiss of the automatic doors faded.

Shiro was sitting on his bed, one knee tucked to his chest, his head resting against it. 

“Shiro, I wanted to apologize for before. I stepped WAY out of line and i’m...we, are under a lot of stress right now, and fighting won’t help with any of it...it was my bad.” She asked for his forgiveness. 

He looked up at her. “Oh, it’s okay Allura, I know you didn’t mean any of it.” 

Allura exhaled. 

“Thank goodness. I’m a little nervous about everyone’s state at the moment, especially Lance. He just seems too calm-“ 

“Why are you worried about Lance?” 

The Princess froze. Oh no. 

“Wrap it up, Allura, wrap it up!” Were the only words that were going through her head right now. 

“I ugh...” she rubbed the back of her neck. 

If she didn’t come up with a lie, and a good, believable one, then she would risk Lance’s secret getting out. 

“He, and everyone else just seems too calm. It just doesn’t seem believable that this happened to Pidge.” She said over-dramatically, seeing if she could rid Lance of any attention she brought to him. 

Shiro frowned. “I know. Pidge is tough though, I’m sure she’ll pull through. Anyways, I’m gonna get some sleep Allura, goodnight.” He smiled at her. 

“Goodnight Shiro.” Allura said, as she exited his room. 

The second the automatic doors closed, she exhaled a breath of relief. 

“Whew, that was a close one.”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Allura remain restless, worrying more and more for Pidge. Allura has an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I hate Halloween.   
> Well, here’s chapter eight for you all, I hope the rest of you have a good Halloween :)  
> I have some ideas for the story that I think will make it more exciting, so I’m pretty pumped to see how those will fit into the story.  
> ~PeanutButterPidge <3

Lance couldn’t sleep. 

He had gone to bed after attempting to choke down some food goo, which he did beside Pidge’s healing pod, making sure her vitals remained stable. 

But now it was three in the morning, and he still couldn’t sleep. His room felt dark, cold, and empty. Every five minutes, he would toss and turn in bed, trying to get the thought of Pidge out of his head. This wasn’t like the usual thoughts he had of Pidge. This wasn’t images of her gleaming, topaz eyes filled with personality beaming up at him from her lab chair in her hangar, or her laugh, her smile, flashing through his head. This was a feeling of despair, and guilt for her. It was a thought that she felt alone in her pod...like she had no one there with her. It pained Lance that he couldn’t be there for her, and get her exactly what she wanted. 

Lance sighed. He guessed the only thing he could do is just literally be there for her, at her side. 

He got up from bed, slipped on his blue lion slippers, and headed towards the regeneration chambers. 

 

“I’m here, Pidge.” He sighed, as he placed a hand on the screen of the pod. He examined her. She had improved a little bit, but she still looked like crap, health wise. Her cuts weren’t bleeding profusely anymore...and that was all. Lance knelt down in front of her pod. 

“What’s the point, you cant hear me anyways.” He said, brushing his hair back and exhaling. He stood up and started pacing around her pod. 

“It would be easier to just forget you sometimes, it just causes me too much stress to worry about you. I mean, I know I told Allura before that this was no ones fault, but I feel like it’s definitely mine that you are like-“ he motioned to her pod. “This.” 

“I just wish I had told you...I wish I had told you that night after we were working on the ship with Allura. Instead of going back to my room I could have just...knocked on your door. Maybe you wouldn’t have accepted my uh-“ Lance laughed. “Oh god, this feels stupid. I’m calling it a love confession, Pidge. I feel like I’m in the fourth grade when I put it like that, but it’s what it is. I’ve loved you for so, so long, and I can’t grow the guts to tell you.” He said, pushing the foot of his slipper into the floor. 

“Oh god, I just want you back...please, just come back so I don’t have to live without you. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself while I’m waiting for you.” He sighed. “I mean, I don’t wanna keep repeating myself, I want you to hear me talk to you when you aren’t in this condition, I want to be able to hear your cheery little laugh, and see you’re bright, kind eyes.” He started tearing up. Lance stalked over to her pod, and sat down beside it. 

“You’ll be okay, Katie.” He whispered. “I promise you’ll be okay...you just have to pull through for me, and for yourself.” 

“She’ll pull through, Lance.” 

“AHHH!” Lance shrieked, whipping his head around to see who had snuck into the regeneration chambers at...three thirty am?! 

“Allura? What are you doing up?” He asked the Princess, who stood in the centre of the circle of pods, her luscious white hair flowing around her shoulders, and the train from her nightgown dragging across the floor behind her. 

“I couldn’t sleep. And I’m assuming you couldn’t either, because so help me if you are depriving yourself of sleep-“ 

Lance laughed. It was something he hadn’t done in what felt like years...but it had only been a day (not even) since Pidge’s accident. “No Allura, I couldn’t sleep either. I’m worried about Pidge.” He said as if he was embarrassed. 

Allura walked past Lance, and up to Pidge’s pod. She typed in a few things on the dashboard, and then turned to Lance. 

“Her vitals are the same, no improvement, no decrease. I’ve also placed an alarm on her pod for if they do drop in the slightest.” She said plainly. 

“Thanks, Allura.” Lance pursed his lips, then looked down at the ground. 

They stood in silence for several minutes, until Allura’s soft, gentle voice spoke; 

“Please tell me you at least told her.” 

Lance looked up at Allura. 

“Tell her...did I tell her?” Lance looked puzzled for a second, until he realized what she meant. 

“Oh. No. I didn’t tell her.” He said extremely guiltily, looking back down at the ground. 

Allura sighed. She walked over to Lance, and motioned for him to sit down next to Pidge’s pod. She took a seat beside him. 

“I was doing some thinking while I was in bed...I have decided to arrange a meeting with the Paladins where we can talk like civilized beings, and not yell at each other constantly. I’ll tell everyone at breakfast tomorrow, and then we can all agree on a time to meet.” Allura sighed, and rested her face in her hands. “I mean technically there’s nothing we need to talk about, but I would just like to throw a few things out there so that everyone knows what exactly is going on and what we are doing...or what we can be doing to help Pidge heal.” She explained, and then rested her head on Lance’s shoulder. “I just wish there was more we could do.” Her voice cracked. 

Lance pulled her in for a side hug. He was itching to ask her a question...a specific question, but he was worried it would just upset her more. He wanted know if it really could be Haggar that captured Pidge. He needed to know. If it was her, what did she want Pidge for? And what would she do with Pidge if she ever got her hands on her again? Lance shuddered at the thought. 

“Are you cold?” Allura asked as she felt him shiver. 

“No, no. I’m just...” 

“What? What is it Lance?” She asked him softly. 

“Okay please don’t get mad when I ask you this...but I feel like you’re the closest person to knowing the truthful answer to my question.” He said. 

Allura took a deep breath. “Hit me.” 

“You sure?” He asked. 

“Yes. Things couldn’t possibly get worse at this point.” She chuckled. 

“Okay-“ Lance cleared his throat. 

“Could it...could it really have been Haggar that took Pidge? I mean obviously the witch herself didn’t come onto our ship and grab Pidge, she must have gotten one of her druids to do it for her, right? Anyways, what I’m asking is, could there have been any specific reason that Haggar would want Pidge? Intelligence gathering? Or did she...or did she just need someone for experimenting, or-“ 

“Lance stop. You’re rambling.” Allura said forcefully. 

He stopped talking, and looked at Allura miserably. 

“I’m going to talk about it in the meeting tomorrow, but I...I do think it was her. Yes.” Allura said. 

Lance cringed. 

“What-why would she want Pid-“ 

“I can’t answer anything right now Lance...i apologize. I promise I’ll answer any further questions at the meeting tomorrow...when everyone’s listening. I just feel dirty talking about this behind the rest of the Paladins backs.” Allura frowned. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Lance tried to ease her anxiety that was obviously welling up inside her. “I just wish I could tell her that everything’s gonna be okay. She’s probably terrified right now.” He added. 

“Me too, Lance. We must not lose hope, though.” Allura said to him, looking up at Lance. 

“I won’t if you won’t.” He chuckled. 

Allura smiled. 

“Deal.”


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura wants to help the Paladins cope with Pidge’s condition, so she makes a suggestion. The team makes a shocking discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I was finally able to make a chapter SOMEWHAT long! I really hope that this chapter fills in some gaps to this story, and that you find it an interesting twist to the plot. Anyways, it’s 11:30 at night so I’m gonna head to bed, enjoy :)

“Good morning, Keith!” Allura said as she shoved another spoonful of food goo in her mouth, giving Keith a little wave. 

Keith stared at her. “You seem awfully chipper considering the recent circumstances. How is Pidge by the way?” 

“Pidge isn’t losing anymore blood, so that’s good...but other than that no change.” Lance muttered as he took a sip of water. 

Keith stood in front of Lance and Allura, who were at the dining table having breakfast. He pointed at them. 

“Okay I’m getting a negative vibe from one of you, and a rather positive one from the other.” He chuckled. “What’s going on Allura, why are you so happy?” Keith asked as he sat down at the table. 

Allura swallowed any remaining food goo that was left in her mouth. “I will tell you when the rest of the Paladins arrive.” She smiled. 

Keith just shrugged.

“And what’s up with you, Lance? Hm? You don’t seem as happy as Allura.”  
Keith asked. 

“Well just like you, I haven’t heard her plan yet...and I’m still worried about Pidge.” He said flatly.

“Oh, uhh, okay then.” He said. 

Just then, Hunk and Coran entered the room. Hunk immediately went for the food, as always. Coran on the other hand, went to sit down next to Allura. 

“Good morning Coran, did you sleep well?” Allura asked seriously. 

“Meh, not the best.” He replied, and rested his head on his hand. 

“Hunk? What about you? How did you sleep?” 

Shoving a spoonful of goo in his mouth, Hunk shook his head and frowned. 

“So nobody got a good sleep last night? Not one of you?” Allura asked, baffled. 

“DID YOU?” Coran asked sincerely, wondering if Allura was able to get a wink of rest the night before. 

Allura pursed her lips, and dabbed some food goo off of her chin with a napkin. 

“Not that it is any of your business, because it’s NOT-“ Allura snapped jokingly at Coran. “But no I did not.” She said guiltily. 

“We just can’t get any rest knowing that one of us is in pain.” Keith said softly. 

Lance and Hunk both nodded at that. 

“It just doesn’t feel the same without her walking the halls in the morning.” Hunk said sadly. 

“Yeah...it’s almost like we can feel her pain as well.” Lance sighed. 

Keith and Hunk agreed at that, too. 

Allura and Coran exchanged looks, and then glanced over at Keith, Lance, and Hunk, who all looked...well, very depressed. 

Allura absolutely despised seeing her Paladin’s like this. For some reason, she felt more mad at them than remorseful. She just didn’t feel...like she was a part of their life quite yet, even though they had been living on a ship in space for the last two years. She had grown closest with Lance over the last few weeks, but she barely knew anything about Keith, Hunk, and Pidge. She just wanted to feel connected with the group on a far more personal level. That brought an idea to mind. 

“Paladins? While we wait for Shiro-“ Allura started, in a very comforting and relaxed tone. She took a seat in front of the blue, red, and yellow Paladins. “Why...” 

Oh god. Would this be too much?! Asking about their teammate, friend, and in Lance’s case, someone who he was infatuated with, while she was on her near-deathbed?! Allura gulped nervously, and then folded her hands in her lap. If she wanted to help the Paladins cope with Pidge’s condition, this was the first step in doing so. 

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about Pidge?” She said calmly, while looking at all three Paladins. 

Lance, Keith, and Hunk all looked at Allura. 

“Why?” Keith asked in a rather rude tone. 

Ugh. Why did Keith always have to be so difficult? Allura politely smiled at Keith, trying her hardest not to snap at him. 

“I just think it would be a good team exercise, you know...to help you all mentally while Pidge is in such a condition. On Altea, we did this when we were worried about a loved one that was away at war, or that we missed dearly...not only that, but I’d love to know more about our little green Paladin.” Allura chimed. 

The three of them suddenly looked hopeful.

“Yeah sure I guess, but like-“ Hunk started, as he ate another spoonful of food goo. “What kinda things did you wanna know?” He said with his mouth full. 

That was a good question. What did Allura want to know? Hmm, she was always curious about the Paladins life before they arrived at the Castle of Lions that day on Arus...Maybe she would ask how they all met Pidge first. 

“Well, for example how do you know Pidge, Hunk?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Pidge and Hunk seemed very close, like they had already formed a strong bond before they arrived in space.

She was expecting Hunk to start talking, but he only just looked over at Lance, who were...smiling at each other? What did Lance have to do with Pidge and Hunks friendship?

Several seconds passed, until Hunk and Lance both started giggling like five year olds. 

“What is so funny? Do I have more food goo on my face?” Allura asked, panicked. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face, just in case. 

“That’s actually kind of a funny story.” Hunk said, coming down from his and Lance’s fit of laughter. 

Allura smiled. “Well please do tell, we have some time.” 

“Okay, so there’s this military school on earth, and it’s where young kids go to become promising cadets. Me, Lance, and Keith were accepted there when we were like-what, fourteen or fifteen, Lance?” Hunk looked over at Lance. 

“Yeah! I was actually supposed to be a cargo pilot, but then mister “I have discipline issues” over there got in trouble NUMEROUS times, so I got promoted to a fighter pilot!” Lance said, while pointing at Keith. 

“Keith! You got kicked out of military school?!” Allura shrieked. 

Keith just rolled his eyes, he couldn’t help but smile. “Yes. But in my defence I am an orphan.” He said, laughing. 

Allura couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had so many questions now, she was even thinking about postponing the meeting! Keith was an Orphan?! What was the name of this “military school”, why did Keith get kicked out of it? And she still had the stories of Pidge to hear. Allura bursted out laughing, and then stood up. 

“Alright everybody, today is cancelled. Go grab your pillows and blankets and meet me in the regeneration chamber in five minutes! We are doing story-time Altean style!” Allura laughed, and then bolted out the door, along with the other Paladins, towards their rooms to grab the pillows and blankets. 

Hunk also grabbed some snacks. 

 

It was like a scene from a very modern fairytale. 

Lance, Keith, Hunk, Coran, and Shiro all sat in a circle in front of Pidge’s healing pod, every single one of them wrapped up in blankets and pillows. Hunk was munching on a bag of dehydrated Altean pea puffs, and Lance was cuddling with the Spice Mice. 

“So, to start off, what was the name of this “Military school” you speak of?” Allura asked them. 

“Hm, it was called the Galaxy Garrison.” Shiro said proudly. 

Allura smiled. “The Galaxy Garrison. Sounds beautiful! Tell me more.” She said, while reaching over to Hunk and stealing one of the pea puffs from him. 

“Well, Shiro was a teacher there!” Keith said, nudging the oldest Paladin in the arm. 

Allura gasped. “Shiro! You’re a teacher?” 

“Ehh, I’m actually more of a commander.” Shiro laughed and smiled. 

“Wow! So, like, tell me about this place!” Allura said eagerly. 

“Well, the Garrison’s awesome. It’s got simulators, and although the classes were as boring as watching paint dry, it was still super fun while it lasted!” Lance said, smiling at Allura. 

“Huh. Hopefully one day when you all return to earth I can see it!” She said. 

“Yeah! Hey you wanted to know about Pidge? Well funny story; one day we were in the simulator, and Pidge was a fairly new cadet at the time. Anyways, it was her first day in the simulator, and when the admiral told her to contact the radio, get this, get this: she undid her SEATBELT, and then STOOD UP!” Lance heaved over laughing. So did Hunk. 

“Oh SHE was the one that almost got a concussion in the drop zone simulator?” Shiro gasped, and then laughed when Lance and Hunk nodded their heads. 

“A-and then she fell off her chair, OBVIOUSLY, and she fell smack down on the floor of the ship! She banged her head pretty hard!” Hunk said in between fits of laughter. 

Allura started laughing as she saw how hard they were giggling. 

“Is there any other stories?” Allura asked. 

“Yeah, so you obviously know that Pidge disguised herself as a dude to get into the Garrison right?” Lance asked the Princess. 

“Yes, but I do not know why.” 

“Yeah neither do we...but ugh- anyways, so since the authorities thought she was a boy, she was put in the BOYS dorms.” Lance started. 

“OH NO, ugh... she’d literally kill you if she knew you were telling this story!” Hunk whined. 

“SO, one day, we were all in the courtyard, and this horrible storm hit. It got us all muddy and gross, so we were all ordered to shower. And uh, little miss Pidge over there had a complete freak out when all the guys started stripping in the showers, we were all so confused!” Lance wheezed. 

Hunk broke out into laughter too, as well as everyone else. 

“She bolted out of the change rooms and we didn’t see her for hours!” Lance finished. 

“Oh boy-“ Allura said, wiping a tear off her cheek. That’s hilarious! I can’t believe she was able to fool everyone into thinking she was a male!” She added. 

“Yeah well she couldn’t fool us! Well I mean, she did in the first few months, but how we REALLY knew, was-“ 

“Ohhh, Please do tell, Hunk!” Allura giggled. 

“Okay, okay, so how she really fooled us was when we were hanging out in town one day. We had gotten a day off, and so Lance grabbed me and Pidge, and we hit a bunch of stores. We were walking down the street, and this group of girls, they looked like they were eleven or twelve, walked up to us. They started waving at Pidge and saying “Hi Katie!” And all that, now I was pretty confused, but Lance was too busy talking on the phone with his mom that he didn’t notice. After we left, I asked Pidge what all of it was about. She just thought that they must have mistook her for someone else. Still, I knew that something was up.” Hunk explained to the group. 

Everyone fell silent, but they all had smiles on their faces. 

“Wanna know how I assumed?” Shiro broke the silence.

“Very!” Allura said, an even larger smile breaking across her face than before. 

“Well, when we infiltrated that Galra ship to get the red lion, Pidge revealed to Keith and I that Commander Holt was her father. Commander Holt was also a teacher and Pilot at the Garrison, and he was a very kind man when I knew him. Anyways, after the attack was over, I was laying in bed that night and I thought “wait, I remember Commander Holt telling me he has a daughter, Katie, and a son, Matt. I never recalling him saying he had two sons. And since Matt was on the Kerberos mission with Commander Holt and I, obviously Pidge had to be his daughter, Katie.” Shiro said. 

Allura smiled. “Wow.” 

“Hold up-“ Hunk interrupted. “How old did Commander Holt say Pidge was?” He asked. 

“Ugh...he said his daughter was twelve at the time.” Shiro said. 

“TWELVE?!” Hunk and Lance screamed in unison. 

“What?! What’s the big deal here?” Keith said, looking confused. 

“Okay. Hold up. The Kerberos team went missing a couple weeks after it departured, right?” Hunk asked. 

“That is correct.” Shiro said, looking confused as well. 

“So how the hell did Pidge get into the Garrison if she was TWELVE?!” Hunk asked, baffled. 

Everyone froze. 

“Well I mean, her brother Matt did say she was eager to get into the Garrison, but she would never...sneak in, would she?” Shiro asked. 

“Pidge has always been one to be ahead of her learning, I mean what fourteen year old can hack like she can?” Keith said. 

“STILL...somethings not right here...” Hunk said. 

“Yeah, I mean other than wanting to be ahead in her classes, why would she sneak into the Garrison?” Lance asked. 

“She’s trying to find her family, guys.” Shiro said. “Commander Holt AND her brother Matt didn’t escape the Galra like I did...” he added. 

Everyone fell silent. 

“S-She disguised herself and snuck into the Garrison so she could what? Grab intel on her brother?” Keith asked. 

“I’m assuming that’s what happened.” Hunk said. 

Allura snapped her head around to look at Coran. 

“What is it Princess?” Coran asked her, responding to the panicked look on her face. 

“Coran...after we saw that Pidge had been taken, you checked the ships defences for any sign of a forced entry, right?” Allura asked. 

“Yes, but there was no sign of one.” Coran said. 

Allura looked at the Paladins, and then to Pidge’s pod. “What if Pidge didn’t just sneak into the Garrison...what if she snuck onto the Galra’s ship as well?” Allura asked, still looking at Pidge.

“She would NEVER!” Lance yelled. 

“Yeah, she wouldn’t go alone, Allura.” Hunk said. “Right guys?” He looked over to Keith and Shiro.

They didn’t say anything. 

“Right?” Hunk repeated. 

“There’s a chance that she might’ve.” Shiro said, cringing slightly at his words. He did remember how Pidge said she would do ANYTHING to get her family back. Especially Matt. 

“What? You really think she would do that?” Allura asked. 

“It does sound like a thing she’d do.” Keith replied. 

Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Lance, Allura, and Coran all looked at up at Pidge’s pod from the floor. 

“So that rules out Haggar, then.” Hunk said flatly. 

“No! No, no, no no!” Lance said quickly. “Even if Pidge did sneak onto that ship, that was definitely Haggar that did THAT to her!” Lance said, pointing at Pidge. 

“Lance is right Hunk, her damned druids couldn’t have done all that damage to her.” Shiro said. 

“With a mixture of Altean and Galran magical energy, anything’s possible.” Allura said in an angry tone. “Everyone to the conference hall, now. We need to figure things out.” 

Allura was panicking. She was angry. She was upset, and she felt betrayed. Too much information had just come loose, too fast. First of all, she was surprised that Pidge was so young! I mean, Allura knew that humans came in all shapes and sizes, so she just assumed that Pidge was rather tiny and small for her age! She thought that Pidge was the same age as the rest of the Paladins! And second off, if Pidge really did sneak onto that ship...and Haggar got her hands on her...she shuddered at the thought. If she knew one thing about that witch, it was that she liked to experiment.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura explains her plan to the team. Hunk makes an impulse decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn’t update yesterday guys, been super sick lately. I’d really appreciate it if you dropped some comments to let me know how the story is, or what I could do to make it better :)   
> This chapters kinda short but it’s a vital part of the story :)  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

“Okay Allura, so what’s the plan here? How are we supposed to know if Pidge really did hack into the Galra ship, when we can’t even talk to her?” Lance asked as he sat in one of the many chairs that bordered the conference table. 

“That’s why I’ve called you all here, we need to work out the facts. If Pidge DID sneak onto that ship to search for her brother, then there’s a chance that Haggar herself did torture her, or she got her druids to do her dirty work.” Allura explained. 

“So why are we panicking? The damage is already done.” Hunk said sadly. 

“Yes I know, but unfortunately my worry right now is...” Allura took a deep breath. “I’m worried that...” 

“Worried about what?” Shiro asked softly. 

Keith, Lance, Hunk, Coran, and Shiro were all staring at Allura patiently. 

“I’m worried that Haggar might have...experimented with her.” Allura’s voice sounded empty. 

The room fell quiet. 

“W-what do you mean experimented?” Keith asked. 

“That witch is known to make monsters. For example, the Robeasts, the Komar, it was all her! What if she made Pidge into one of those things as well?!” Allura stood up out of her chair. 

“Allura, you don’t need to panic. Like I said, all we need is time. We can’t ask Pidge any questions or get anything out of her while she’s fricken incapacitated.” Lance said rather rudely. 

“Well...that’s the thing, Lance. What if we can?” Allura said proudly. She really did hate to spring this on them so suddenly, but she had read things in her father’s journals that...brought some ideas to mind. 

“What?! T-there’s a way I can talk to her?!” Lance said, a little too eagerly. 

“Yes. I was going through my father’s old journals the other night, and I found some things. I was reading the section where he logged the intel on when he created the lion’s. He said the second he created the red lion, he felt a connection to it. Not only a physical one, a mental one as well. He said he could hear its thoughts, almost like the lion was speaking to him. You have all felt this feeling with your lion’s, even if you haven’t realized it...or if you haven’t been conscious. That’s why-“ 

“Wait...you think we could talk to Pidge...through her Lion?” Shiro asked, a look of astonishment dawning on his face. 

“Exactly, Shiro.” Allura smiled. “Now, according to my father’s journals, here’s what we would need to do to make it work.” Allura announced. “We need someone who Pidge has a strong connection with. Someone who she wants to talk to, very badly. Any ideas of who that could be?” Allura looked at the Paladins, full of hope. 

“I think Hunk would work.” Lance said.

“Wha-ME?” Hunk asked, surprised. 

“Yes, you. Pidge is like your best friend, man! Come on.” Keith told Hunk. 

“S-She is? I thought she just tolerated me since I was the only other smart person on this ship-I MEAN, ugh, only other tech-y, person...” Hunk said, embarrassed.

“No, Lance is right Hunk. I think we should try all of us, but I do think that you are our best bet to contacting Pidge.” Allura said, giving Hunk a hopeful glance. “That is if you agree to do so, if you do not feel comfortable in the slightest we understand-“

“No I’ll do it! When do we start?” Hunk said rapidly, looking up at Allura.

“Right now.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk attempts to contact Pidge, but things don’t go as hoped, and Lance doesn’t react well to the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see :( I’ve been away for a while cause I’ve been...lazy. I made this chapter kinda long, so I hope y’all enjoy it :p I’ll try not to take as long as breaks from now on, and also, thanks for all the love and support you guys are giving me! It really means a lot. Anyways, happy reading! :D  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

“Okay, Hunk. Are you ready?” Allura asked, as she rested her hand on the yellow Paladins shoulder. 

Team Voltron stood in the green lions hangar, nervous about their upcoming task.

“I-uh, I think so? I mean what am I supposed to do once I get in there?” Hunk asked Allura shakily, not taking his eyes off of the green lion. 

“Oh Hunk, don’t worry. The green Lion is so small compared to the yellow lion. Please, go on, friend. Contact Pidge for us. You know what to ask once you get in there.” Allura whispered to Hunk, and then nudged him towards the green lion. 

Hunk slowly walked up to Pidge’s lion, and stood in front of it, waiting to see if it would let him enter. 

It took a few moments, but the green lion obediently lowered its head, and allowed Hunk entrance. Before walking into the lion, Hunk flashed a “I hope I don’t die” smile to the rest of the team. 

“I don’t understand why he’s so scared. Pidge is his best friend, I can’t believe he doesn’t realize it.” Allura whispered into Lance’s ear. 

“He does realize it-“ Lance giggled. “He’s just being Hunk.” 

Allura nodded. 

The team watched as Hunk walked into the green lion, and how the lion closed its mouth once Hunk had disappeared into the vessel.

“I just hope Pidge is okay, and that Hunk will be able to contact her.” Allura sighed. 

“Me too.” Lance added. 

 

“Okay, uh-“ Hunk stammered as he stood in the centre of the green lion’s cockpit. “I don’t exactly know what I’m supposed to be doing in here, Allura said something about magic on the way over here-“ he said, while slowly exploring the green lion. “P-Pidge? I don’t know if you can uh, hear me or not... if you can hear me I’d uh, really like it if you’d talk cause I’m starting to get a little nervous that this isn’t working...and uh, we kinda need this to work, in order for us to contact you from the deAD- no no, I didn’t mean dead I meant, wherever you are right now...” Hunk panicked, and then sighed. “Ugh. This is useless. I knew you didn’t want to talk to me.” Hunk said sadly, as he sat in Pidge’s chair. “I just wish you would talk to us, Pidge. We all miss you...I miss you. We just want to know some things, and we all want you to come back home. I’ll go see if any of the rest of them want to try and talk to you...I just hope your not mad at me, I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but I still feel like I did maybe, since you aren’t talking to me? Or maybe it’s just- Okay I’ll stop rambling now, I’m sorry.” Hunk said quickly, as he exited the green lion and shamefully walked back over to the team. He hated the feeling of disappointment welling up in his chest...he really didn’t like it. Somewhere deep down Hunk knew that Pidge really was his best friend, and that he should stop jumping to conclusions so fast. He just didn’t know how to break it to the team. What was he going to do? Walk up to Allura and say, “yeah, your father’s research was absolute BuLLsHit, you can’t talk to people through their mechanical lion that they pilot, while they are unconscious?” No. He needed to put it short and sweet, just let her down easy, and maybe she’d be into letting someone else try, someone who Pidge is actually interested in talking to.

Hunk could already see the sad look on everyone’s faces as he approached Team Voltron. 

“It didn’t work. I can’t get her to talk, I didn’t even feel anything.” Hunk muttered. 

Everyone stayed silent. Allura could feel the tension rising between all of the Paladins. Despair, grief, and terror dwelled in their hearts. Allura was getting more and more stressed by the minute...if she didn’t find someway to do something soon, she would lose all of her Paladins forever. Not only Pidge, but Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and even Coran. Nothing would be the same without her. Voltron couldn’t be formed. The team wouldn’t survive very long without her smarts, or her morale. 

Allura turned to face the Paladins, who were...no longer there. Only Lance stood vacantly in front of Allura. He was looking distantly at the green lion. 

Allura sighed, and then walked up to Lance, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything okay, Lance?” 

He didn’t remove his gaze from the green lion. “How could you ask that, Allura? Of course everything’s not okay. Pidge is...” He paused.

Allura already knew what he was going to say. Nobody had said it out loud yet...nobody dared to. But if Lance wanted to be the one to make it a reality...to force the words out into the universe...she couldn’t stop him. She wouldn’t dare stop him. If she did, Allura would by lying to herself if she said that Lance was doing the wrong thing by saying...it. 

“Pidge is dying, Allura. And I can’t do anything to stop it.” Lance said flatly, while watching the green lion. 

Allura’s whole stomach jolted at Lance’s choice of words. He could have said it a little softer, and not made it sound so immediate, and...real. This was Allura’s worse nightmare. Her father’s legacy, the Paladins, the Galra empire rising, everything is just falling to pieces. Although in Altea...if the gods put your fate in front of you, you take it. And if this was Allura’s fate, then she had to recite their options. 

“Maybe it’s time that we start...talking about how we are going to-“ Allura cleated her throat. “Pull the plug.” 

Lance’s frame stiffened. “You mean...KILL Pidge?” He shrieked, averting his gaze from the lion, towards Allura’s eyes. 

“It’s our only option, she’s suffering Lance-“

“She’s fighting!” He yelled. 

Allura froze with anger. “On Altea-“ 

“I don’t give a shit about Altea! This isn’t Altea, Allura. Altea is gone!”

“Stop interrupting me! And...Altea was my home, Lance. I’m a little hurt as to how you of all people would say such a thing. I’m calling another meeting tomorrow morning, and you will be there. We all will. And we are going to discuss our options...” Allura’s voice got lower, and more sad as she spoke her words. 

Lance could physically feel his body draining his face of blood. He knew he was pale. He knew he was as white as a ghost...and he knew that Pidge was suffering. He hated more than anything to admit it, but it was the truth. Lance was conflicted. A part of him knew that Pidge was fighting, and that she was going to make it. But the other part of him...the part he despised...knew that she was just going to fall apart in front of him, right in her regeneration pod. He knew that her skin would soon become so pale and fragile, that it would begin to peel away, and...rot. 

Lance felt like he was going to vomit. He bit the inside of his cheek, to let the rest of his body know that he wasn’t going to let himself throw up. But...every time the sequence of images ran through his head, his stomach convulsed. The first image, was...Pidge. Lance would picture her sitting at her desk in the green lion’s hangar, her pale, slender digits would be quickly typing away at the keys of her laptop. She would be quietly humming some tune while she worked, and those soft, subtle, pastel-coloured cheeks would light up with a blush when someone caught her humming. 

The second image wasn’t so flattering.

The second image was Lance’s current reality. Pidge, in her healing pod. Everyday. Not improving, and not getting any worse. Even though the blue glass from the pod stood between them, Lance could still tell how the paleness of her cheeks now, was so different to the more natural pale colour they donned when she was conscious and healthy. 

And the third image...was the one that made Lance want to hurl. The one that could make him already feel the bile rising in his throat. It was Katie Holt, lying on a cold, shiny, stainless steel table. Her skin cold, pale, and dead. Not only her skin was dead...SHE was dead. The Pidge he knew was gone. He would never hear that beautiful laugh again. Or see those gleaming, bronze eyes, or her flowy, soft hair. Pidge would be gone. Dead. 

Lance didn’t know what to do. He felt like if she died...he wouldn’t be able to function. He wouldn’t be able to live, without loving her. And it saddened him even more that he would never get to. It saddened him that she would never know-

Lance froze.

“Allura?” Lance asked, barely audible enough for the Princess to hear. 

Allura turned around, her eyes teary and reddened. It was no surprise to Lance that she was crying. He felt like crying too...in fact, he hadn’t had a breakdown in private yet. He really did think that at some point throughout all this he would be laying in bed, and it would just hit him. 

Pidge is dying.

And then he would curl over on his side, and just start bawling. Not the kind of bawling you do when you’re angry or upset. The kind of bawling you do when you’re in pain. When you know it’s all going to be over soon. When the thing you love the most, will no longer exist. Lance would then just continue to cry, straining and silently screaming into his pillow, gripping at it until he ripped it. He would just cry, until his cheeks would begin to flush and he would get a headache from straining his voice. And then we would fall asleep, and wake up in a terrible state of guilt and pain.

Allura wiped her tears on her sleeve, and then spoke. “Yes, Lance?” 

“Can she...can she hear me? When I talk to her in the pod...can she hear me?” He asked, his voice breaking. 

Allura paused. “We don’t know, Lance. Could you just...I just...I think we all need some time to-“ Allura stopped mid-sentence as she began to cry. She brought her hand to her mouth, and just began to sob. Her voice that was usually cheerful and strong, was now cracked and hoarse. It was weak. Allura fell to her knees, and curled over, howling. 

Lance didn’t know what to do with anyone at this point. He just wanted Pidge. 

“Allura I’m sorry, I wish I could be here for you right now...but I need to give this one more shot.” Lance said quickly, before bolting out of the room and down the hall. 

Lance made a promise to Pidge. She didn’t know about it, but Lance promised her that he would do everything in his power to protect her. He knew he was about to have that breakdown he was thinking about before. He could feel it welling up inside him. He just didn’t think it would be in front of Pidge. 

He rushed to the regeneration chamber room, and when he got in, he locked the door. Lance then rushed over to Pidge’s pod, and looked in at her through the glass. 

She...she didn’t look any different than she did when he had last checked on her. Her skin was still grey and pale, and she still looked...dead. 

Lance fell to his knees, not removing his hands from the glass of her pod. 

“Katie...I’m not going to do this again...I can’t recite a whole goddamn confession every time I start to breakdown over y-you...” Lance started to cry. He didn’t try to hide it, he let his voice crack every time he spoke. “Please, Allura wants to stop your treatment. I can’t let that happen. I’m not going to be able to sleep, eat, or even function without you. Pidge, you’re my everything. You’re my medicine, you’re my cure, whatever the hell you wanna call it! You. Are. Mine. I don’t give a shit if I’m being greedy at this point, because I’d literally give my life to just hold you in my arms, one more time. To feel your heartbeat steadily against me. To hear that laugh? Yeah...that laugh...your laugh. I’d do anything in the entirety of this universe to just see those breathtaking eyes blink wide open. 

To hear you say my name, just one. More. Time. I need to hear it, Pidge. I have to-“ Lance cried. He was having the breakdown. The corners of his mouth ached as he silently held his mouth open in agony, and his whole stomach ached...no. His whole body ached. His soul felt empty. He just needed to get these last few words out...Lance couldn’t care if she could hear them or not, he just needed to say them. “I just want you here beside me, to give you my Love, Affection, and Attention...Please, I need you...”


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is brought into the reality of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m back with another chapter! I wanted to reply to some of the comments/questions that you guys asked me so here they are! 
> 
> Q: How old is Pidge in this fic?   
> A: PIDGE IS 18 IN THIS, AND LANCE IS 19
> 
> Q: What timeline does this fic take place in?  
> A: I never actually thought of a specific timeline for it, I just kinda started writing. I guess it could take place sometime in the middle of season 2? 
> 
> And also I wanted to thank you all for the Kudos and comments, it’s really giving me motivation to keep writing.  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

Lance was on his knees, in front of Pidge’s pod, praying to anything and everything that she would wake up, Once and for all. His eyes were clouded with tears, and he could just see the outline on the floor in front of him where his tears collected. He had just said his last, very heartfelt goodbye to Pidge. He was now just letting that sink in. 

When Lance would get up off his knees to face reality, Pidge wouldn’t exist anymore.

He would never see her again.

He would never hear that cheery, bright, bubbly laugh echo through the hallways of the castle anymore.

He would never feel that jolt of happiness and comfort whenever he looked into her eyes. 

He would never be able to feel love without her...

He wouldn’t be anything without Pidge.

It was all coming into light now...how much Pidge helped Lance. He realized how much of a godsend Pidge was to him, and that he really needed her, more than she needed him right now. 

Even though everything was being shoved in front of Lance right now, he still refused to believe that this was his new reality. 

“I love you.” Lance muttered under his breath, for the very last time. 

 

Lance didn’t know how long he had stayed on his knees for, crying into his hands. He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to have to go and tell Allura that he agreed on the whole “pulling the plug” idea. He KNEW it wasn’t for the best. 

Lance stopped crying, when he thought he had heard something. 

“Great, now I’m hearing things.” Lance scoffed into his hands. 

He went back to strain another cry, when he heard it again. 

It was sort of like a...hissing sound.

What was it? It couldn’t have been the team, Lance had locked the door on his way in, had he not?

He wiped his eyes, and expecting to see Allura or Shiro standing in front of him, he looked up.

“Pidge?” 

His heart sank into his stomach. 

In front of him, the blue glass of the healing pod that had separated Pidge from Lance for days had...disappeared. It was gone. And now stood Pidge, unprotected and out in the open.

Her pod had opened, and she was...

Alive.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna stop doing summary’s cause they are stupid and give away the plot of the chapter. Also, I have had the WORST writers block, I have all these great ideas for the story but I can’t put em into words, but the story should be smooth sailing from here (writing wise) now that a certain s o m e o n e is awake ;) anyways! Enjoy this chapter and I should have a new one for you all in a few days maximum :D

“P-Pidge?” Lance said, as he lunged forward to catch Pidge, who was falling forward from her pod. 

“I gotcha-“ He said, as she collapsed into his arms. Lance was crying again, but not from sadness. He was so happy that she was alive, he couldn’t contain his tears. 

That’s why when could feel her try to roll over on his arms, he became overwhelmed. 

“Oh-“ he gasped. “M-my god-“ he stuttered, as he hugged her now thin, frail body. “You’re alive!” Lance said through cries and gasps, as he rocked her back and forth. “I can’t believe you’re alive...” 

Lance could feel her trying to move, so he rolled her over so she was on her back. Lance held her close to his chest, and cried against her.

“L-lah” Her raspy, hoarse voice choked out. Lance stopped crying, and looked at her.

“A-are you trying to talk?” Lance asked, baffled at how quickly she had went from being practically dead, to...

This.

He ran a finger across the soft, whitened skin of her jaw. “Shh, don’t try to talk yet, I’ll get you some help.” He said softly, looking into her half-open eyes. 

Lance, taking a deep breath, picked Pidge up and carried her bridal-style towards the door of the regeneration chamber. He unlocked it, and then opened it, and began to walk towards the lounge. 

Hopefully someone would be there, everyone needed to see this. Everyone needed to see HER. Not even Lance could believe what he was seeing. Pidge was awake. She was alive. And Lance was right there with her, through it all. She didn’t look the same as she did two weeks ago, when she was healthy. The bloodied gashes that once covered her skin were now textured scars, and she had lost quite a bit of weight. Her cheeks were hollowed, and her jawline looked sharper. She was just a frail little thing now, that had a lot of fight in her. 

Lance smiled. Pidge’s healing journey would be long, difficult, and hard. But he pledged to stay with her through it all. 

He walked down the hallway with Pidge in his arms, and he could see the door to the lounge. He walked up to it, and then opened it. 

He slowly walked in, and saw everyone sitting along the lounge chairs. 

“H-hey guys...” Lance choked out, some tears still falling from his eyes. 

“Hey Lance whats-“ Hunk stopped mid sentence when he saw Lance, and who he was carrying. 

“What is it-“ Keith said, as he spun around. 

Everyone else did the same, and every single one of their jaws dropped to the floor in astonishment. 

“PIDGE?!” Allura shrieked, clamping a hand over her mouth in shock and running over to Lance and Pidge. 

The rest of the Paladins quickly followed, not taking their eyes off of Pidge. 

Once everyone was gathered around Lance, Shiro looked up at Lance with the most dumbfounded look on his face. “H-how did you, is she-“ Shiro stuttered.

“Is she even alive? She looks dead.” Keith asked gently, but flatly. 

“KEITH-“ Allura screeched at him, while she shot him a “look.” 

“She’s alive...her...her pod opened, thank god I was there to catch her.” Lance said breathlessly. 

Everyone was smiling, but they looked almost...saddened. 

“She still isn’t healthy you guys, she will need to stay in the infirmary while she fully recovers, but at least she won’t need to stay in the pod anymore...” Allura said, and then placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Come, we’ll get her settled in a room.”


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s back with another chapter :p  
> Oof I FINALLY got past yet another writers block, and I have so many ideas in mind that I think will bring out the story some more, including this amazing plot-twist.   
> Anywaysss, enjoy!   
> (Also, i’ve really appreciated all the love I’ve been getting from you guys, the comments and Kudos really do give me a lot of inspiration to write. Please let me know what you are thinking of the story <3)   
> ~PeanutButterPidge

Lance sat hunched over in a chair by Pidge’s bedside, his head rested with his arms on the edge of her bed. He had adjusted his shoulders so that he could watch her as she slept, and that when she did wake up from the incident once and for all, she would be the first one he saw. Since him, Allura and the other Paladins brought Pidge into her recovery room a few hours ago, Lance had not left her side once. He was beginning to think the other Paladins knew about his affection for Pidge, but then again no one was asking...or even seemed suspicious. Maybe they thought because he was the one that found Pidge all tattered up in that Galran torture chamber, that he just felt more...responsible for keeping her safe. 

Yeah...that was it, he was just overprotective of her. 

It was around midnight now, and Lance was growing tired. The bright, blue, unnatural light from the castle was a little overpowering on his eyes, so he pushed his chair back and reached over for the light, dimming them to about half way. Lance made sure he didn’t make it too dark, but just enough so that he could still see Pidge clearly. He sat back down in his chair, and then went back to the same position he had been sitting in for the past- 

Lance looked at the clock. 

Four hours. It had been a pretty hectic day. Well actually, more of a hectic week. He was glad that Pidge was on the road to recovery now. 

After a few minutes of watching Pidge, seeing as her torso moved up and down, her body laying still, but alive, in the bed, blankets formed neatly around her...Lance fell into a deep, calm slumber. 

~~~~~

Lance didn’t know where he was. It was...pitch black. He glanced around the room- or...wherever he was, but from all angles it was just...nothingness. 

Where was he? He couldn’t remember where he had been last, or what he had been doing, or who he was with! All he could remember, was who he was. 

He was Lance. 

Whew, he took a deep breath. At least he still knew himself, and at least he was not going crazy. That gave him a little bit of comfort. 

He still needed to figure out where the hell he was. He also had a few other concerns, as to who was in this...area with him. He didn’t want to call it a room, because he couldn’t tell how big the area was, who or what was surrounding him, and what he was doing here.

He took a step forward. 

The heel of his shoe met a soft, padded surface. He was walking on carpet. 

He took another deep breath. He didn’t know why, but knowing his surroundings a little more relaxed him. 

Lance stepped forward once again. Still walking on carpet. 

He huffed a breath of frustration. This wasn’t getting him ANYWHERE. Should he try to talk? It would be better than just walking around aimlessly for hours on end, although it could draw attention to him...and he didn’t know if he wanted that or not. What if talking was dangerous? What if he said even the slightest word, and the whole floor fell through, and- 

Lance froze. He was overreacting, more than usual. 

Besides, this was probably just a dream...and he would wake up very, very soon. “Fuck it.” Lance thought. 

“Hello?” He shouted. 

There was an echo. His voice echoed! It wasn’t much of one, but there was an echo. Lance now knew that he was in a very spacious, large...area. 

He grunted in frustration, and then then shouted again, this time louder. “WHERE THE HELL AM I?” 

No answer. He waited a few seconds, to see if someone really would answer, but when about a minute passed, he was starting to get a little ticked off.

“ALRIGHT SOMEBODY BETTER TELL ME WHERE THE HELL I AM, RIGHT NOW!” He stomped his foot in anger. 

And with that, a flash of light appeared in front of him. This spotlight shone about fifteen feet in front of him, and he was able to see where he was. 

He was in a ballroom. Not the kind you’d be in at a rec centre for your cousins wedding, or the kind you would see in a very low budget, cheesy wedding film. This was the kind of ballroom you’d see in a fairytale. Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, the kind that had quartz-tiled floors, several crystal chandeliers, and many people dressed up in fancy attire. 

“What the fu-“ Lance went to go speak, but he was interrupted. 

“Lance? Are you there?” A familiar voice echoed a little louder than it should have, through the ballroom. 

Lance knew that voice... it was- 

“Pidge?” His voice cracked out weakly. Lance shuddered. His voice had gone from full of anger, to calm, relaxed, and almost weak, in seconds. 

Lance didn’t have any time to think about it more, because he was caught off guard by the sound of high heels tapping against the floor of the ballroom. 

He knew what was coming, and he didn’t take his eyes off the giant spotlight for even a second. Lance was anxious, and excited. What on earth was this? Some kind of simulation? Was he going to see Pidge? That’s odd...he hadn’t dreamt of Pidge since before her accident. 

The sound of high heels grew louder and louder, closer and closer, until he could practically tell that she was just hiding on the edge of the spot of light, as if she didn’t want to be seen. 

Lance took a step closer to the light. He was scared to go any further, he wanted to see if it really was Pidge. Even if this was a dream, he would be so overjoyed if it was her. 

The truth was revealed when a shadow came into the light, and there stood Pidge, in the middle of the spotlight. 

Lance’s jaw dropped, and he could feel the pressure building in his eyes, signalling that he was going to cry. 

She was...gorgeous. 

As he walked a little closer to her, he could see that she had donned a long, sleek, strapless, dark green ball gown, finished with shiny rhinestones that glittered in all directions when she moved in the slightest. And even though Lance couldn’t see them, he knew she was wearing a pair of high heels. Her hair was as she usually wore it, but it somehow looked more...breathtaking than it normally was. The ends of it met her bare, pale neck and it looked amazing with her dress, and as usual, it matched her eyes perfectly. 

Lance didn’t realize how much he had walked towards Pidge until he could see her fiddling with the sides of her dress. 

He didn’t hesitate one bit when he took both her hands in his, and then slowly began to meet her eyes. 

“I-I’m...” Lance stuttered, as he teared up. 

Pidge just smiled, as she began to tear up as well. “Hey there, Sharpshooter.” She whispered under her breath, and then proceeded to bring Lance’s hand up to her forehead, and rest against it. 

Lance couldn’t even BEGIN to process what he was seeing, and what he was feeling. He had dreamt of Pidge before, but not like this. Not this realistically. 

He was beginning to wonder if this really was a dream or not.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. It’s 1 am.   
> Sorry if this chapter seems rushed and frantic or whatever, I was so excited to write it and I’m really happy with how the whole “dream” thing worked out. There will be a warning for the next chapter, so just look at the summary in the next chapter and you’ll see what it is. Anyways, as usual, I’ll have a new chapter up within the next two days, and Uhhh yeah, enjoy :D  
> ~PeanutButterPidge

“Well Loverboy? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to dance with me?” Pidge asked, smirking, her eyes glossy from the tears she had before.

Lance was snapped from his daze, one of which Pidge had caused with her beauty, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Uh-of course I’ll dance with you.” Lance said courteously, lunging backwards on one knee, and holding a hand out for Pidge to take. At this point, Lance didn’t care if this was real or not. Pidge could explain it all to him later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment with her. 

Lance smiled to himself when he felt Pidge’s soft, dainty hand grab onto his...but the smile quickly transitioned to a surprised, unexpected look when he was yanked up from the ground and into a dancing position with Pidge. It all happened so fast- one second he was trapped in a dark room, with no where to go...and now he was here, his hands on her hips, her beautiful green dress was flowing with their dancing patterns, and Lance’s only concern was making sure not to step on Pidge’s feet by accident. 

Lance was guaranteed he was dreaming. There was no way in hell that someone so...enthralling as Pidge could be here with him, on a dance floor, with only time to kill. He watched as every time they spun around, Pidge’s smile just got brighter, her eyes got happier, and they never broke their gaze with Lance’s. 

As if on cue, a beautiful tune of music filled the room. Lance looked surprised, but somehow Pidge just smirked at Lance. 

“What do you keep smirking at you little-“ Lance said through gritted teeth while smiling. 

“I dare you to finish that sentence, McClain.” Pidge said teasingly. 

“Sorry Pidge, I’m just...” Lance hesitated, while he spun Pidge around on tune to the music. When she came back to Lance, they seemed...closer. As if she had closed the space between their chests. 

“What was that?” Pidge giggled. 

Lance couldn’t help but close his eyes, and grin. She wasn’t even going to let him finish a sentence without making him dizzy with that laugh of hers. It had only been a week since Pidge got knocked out from her accident, which had cut Lance off from hearing his favourite person laugh...but it felt like he hadn’t heard it in years. He opened his eyes again, and got his face closer to Pidge’s. 

“Please...please tell me this is real.” He muttered to her, making sure they never stopped dancing. 

Pidge furrowed her brows, as if she didn’t know the answer to Lance’s question either. “Yes and no.” She snickered.

Lance rolled his eyes playfully, and then looped an arm around Pidge’s back, and pulled her in close to him. “I’m not in the mood for your games, Miss Holt. Yes or no?” 

She looked surprised, but a certain twinkle in Pidge’s eyes told Lance that she was okay. “Lance, I don’t even know the answer you’re looking for. I just want to enjoy this with you as long as I can, don’t you?” She asked. 

“Of course I do, but obviously I have questions, Pidge...I mean, you have been incapacitated for a week, I’ve...” Lance paused. “I’ve missed you.” He mumbled. 

“I missed you too, Lance. But I can answer all your questions when I wake up...for now I just want to get a good dance or two in.” She said, as Lance rested her along his arm as he dipped her. 

For fucks sake, from this angle, the light shining directly down on her face, she looked...flawless. She WAS flawless. Her eyes shone as bright as diamonds and every detail on her complexion was...mesmerizing. If this really was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. 

“Oh, and Lance?” Pidge asked, still resting against his arm. 

“Yes?” Lance asked, eager to here what she had to say. 

“Tell Hunk I don’t hate him. And I do want to talk to him...and that I will soon. I’ll wake up soon, Lance. Wait for me.” She said gently. 

Lance tensed up. What did she mean by that? Lance thought hard for what on earth that could possibly mean...until it clicked. Hunk. The green lion. The experiment to see if Hunk could talk to Pidge from her lion! But that had failed.. Hold on...so that meant-

“Wait...this isn’t a dream?!” He asked.

Lance could feel his feet getting heavy, and the space around him becoming lighter and lighter, until his whole vision looked fuzzy. 

Was he waking up? No...”No, Pidge-please, I don’t want to wake up yet!”

Tears began to well up in his eyes, causing his seeing to just become straight up blurry. The last thing he saw before returning to total darkness, was her smile...that smile...

Pidge’s smile.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything was silent. She couldn’t hear a single thing. All she could pay attention to, was Lance’s flowing hair, his beautiful eyes that were clouded with lust, and the way the sunset prepared a perfect stage for when Pidge leaned in and locked her lips with Lance’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, you thought I left this story to die? Nah, I had to finish this masterpiece. Enjoy the last chapter of this Pidge and Lance fic I had an absolute blast writing. I honestly wasn’t expecting this many hits on my first story I ever did on here, but I’m very happy with them, so thank you. Now I’m aware this story is filled with plot holes and it’s kind of ridiculous, but it’s my first story I ever published, and they are only gonna keep getting better :) Hope you enjoy!

Lance was snapped awake from his dream. 

He thought that after having such a nice, heartwarming dream, he would feel groggy once he woke up. Maybe it was the fact that he was so surprised he could remember every little bit of it so clearly. 

Pidge and her flowing green dress, her beautiful, bright eyes, her voice...clear as day. 

“W-was that really a dream?” He said. He rubbed his face with his palms in a panicked state, feeling like he should be scared of what he just went through. But he just couldn’t help ignoring the warm feeling in his chest, and the space that surrounded him. Why would he want to anyways? He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was courage, or hope. Bravery? Serenity? It was that feeling that he got whenever he would wake up after movie nights with his family, and know that he was around people he loved. Or that feeling he got when he was sharing a dorm with Hunk at the Garrison, when he knew his roommate was awake but he was just too nervous to say “buddy, you still up?” Or “Hunk, I can’t sleep”, because if he really was sleeping, then he would have woken Hunk up for nothing. 

“It wasn’t a dream, Lance.” A soft, crackly voice spoke. 

Lance’s breath hitched in his throat, and he swiftly turned his head to look to where the voice came from. A part of him already knew what it was. But another part had to see it to believe it. 

And he did see it. Right in front of him, laying in a hospital bed. He saw what he had been wanting to see for an entire week. Pidge was awake; and he couldn’t believe it. Her hair was a bit messy and bedhead-y, but it still had the same softness to it. Lance knew it was soft because he had brushed it for her the night she came out of the cryo-pod. Her eyes were half-lidded, and the bags under them were astonishingly dark. But the honey colour of them still shone through the darkness, meeting Lance’s blue ones. She still looked a bit frail, but that would change with time. He would help her get better, no matter how long it took. 

Because Pidge was awake. 

“You’re...here...” Lance’s voice cracked. He told himself not to cry repeatedly in his head, told himself to be strong for her. But one moment of weakness for the girl he loved was okay. 

Although, that shouldn’t matter right now, because she was right here in front of him. 

“I’m here.” She said, smiling. Pidge pulled her hands out of the blankets that were entangled around her body, and held them out to Lance. “Please, give me a hug...” She said weakly, a single tear falling down her cheek as she looked up at him. 

He didn’t hesitate one bit. 

Being careful not to crush Pidge, Lance rested himself down on the hospital bed beside her. He then hugged her. Not delicately, and not shyly. He really hugged her. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. He cried into it, letting the tears trail down his cheeks. “Why did you do it Pidge?” He cried softly, his voice straining in his throat. 

“I just wanted to find my brother.” Her voice sounded the same as his. “I’m never leaving your side again.” 

Lance stiffened against her body. “You...you’re what?” He asked, sniffling. 

“I’m never leaving your side again. I could hear everything you said when I was unconscious...and I wanted to say that I love you too, Lance.” She said, smiling. 

Lance smiled. “Am I dreaming again?” 

Pidge laughed. “Maybe we should be. This would be a lot more romantic if we were back home, you know. The sun, the nice view from the Garrison rooftop.” 

Lance smiled. “You’re right.” 

 

 

It was a usual sunset. But something about this “usual” sunset shone more brightly when Lance was with Pidge, watching it from the rooftop of the Galaxy Garrison. Their legs were hanging off the side of it, and they were staring out at the beautiful shades of orange, pink, and red that danced in the sky as Pidge’s hand crept over to Lance’s. She entangled their fingers together and smiled at him. 

“Can I kiss you now?” Pidge asked, looking far into his eyes. 

“It would be disappointing if you didn’t.” He said with a giggle. 

Yet, neither of them moved. Pidge just continued to look into his eyes, and watched how the sunsets colours radiated off them. There was a soft breeze, and she took her eyes off his for just a second to watch how his chestnut hair rippled with it. She had loved Lance all along, but was blinded by the fact that she needed to find her brother. For Pidge, priorities came first. But little did she know at the time, Lance was a priority. A rather important one that she should have been paying a lot more attention to. 

Pidge, not taking her hand away from Lance’s, positioned herself so that she was on her knees. She placed one hand on the ground to support herself, and then finally untangled the other from Lance’s hand to cup his cheek. 

Everything was silent. She couldn’t hear a single thing. All she could pay attention to, was Lance’s flowing hair, his beautiful eyes that were clouded with lust, and the way the sunset prepared a perfect stage for when Pidge leaned in and locked her lips with Lance’s. 

She wanted his to be hers. She wanted to spend every second she could with Lance. It was just something that she needed. He was her family now, and he deserved all of it. 

Her love, affection, and attention. 

Forever.


End file.
